Happy Old Year 2011

Something different for my blog, because I don't really have updates for my agent search.

Okay, so everyone and their mother is probably going to be writing, or have already written a blog, article, or post about 2011 passing. Who died, who excelled, who fell on their face, wore the worst dress, and blah, blah, blah… So what will I write about… the things I loved about 2011, in my completely 100% biased opinion. (I got tired of reading the hipster picks of the year.)

Biggest thrill of the 2011: I found out I’m going to be a daddy… yeah I’m sure most of you won’t care about that, but hey it’s a new one for me.

Best Album of 2011: Times of Grace. If you haven’t heard of them and love metal, these guys are the founders of KillSwitch Engage. The former singer, and current ax-man teamed up to write a very powerful disc that emotionally kicks you in the heart, all the while encouraging you to stay strong, and pounding your head with pummeling drums, barrages of heavy riffs, and beautifully powerful vocals. The album has many fantastic tracks, but the hauntingly Until the End of Days is a masterpiece that starts slow and mellow but grows into a brutal onslaught of sludgy riffs, and some of the most intense screams of the last 20 years of metal.

My movie of the year: There were some very awesome movies this year, and I’m sure there were a handful of great ones I missed. I’m still looking for to Dale and Tucker Vs Evil, but I digress. Even though Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 was an awesome movie, and The Help was a huge surprise I’d have to go with Super 8. I went in thinking I was getting one kind of movie, but the two kids, Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning, stole the show giving me another kind of movie all together. The scenes between the two of them were extremely touching for a couple of kids. But the great thing is this movie not only had a story of kids growing up in the seventies, but it had an adult story that gave the movie more depth, and… it had a Sci-Fi monster running around destroying their town. The movie took a turn in the third act and reminded me of a classic monster movie where the army rolls in, and uses heavy artillery to bring the beast down. That’s not the end though, the kids are making a zombie movie to enter into a kid’s film competition and at the end of the movie… wait for it… stay put, you get to see their creation. It was my favorite part, and such a treat to film makers in waiting.

Book of the year: Okay so I’m a little behind the times, but not too late. I was given the Hunger Games book a little over a year ago, but hadn’t picked it up, because I’d spent most of my time writing. But looking to become a better writer, I asked another avid reader, what books she’d suggest, low and behold, she mentioned the Hunger Games. I pulled it out, read the entire thing in like two days, and for me being a slow reader, that was fast. I got the second book and devoured it, and then the third, although not the direction I would have like to have seen it go, still an amazing work. So yes the Hunger Games Trilogy.

Accomplishments of the Year: I got to work on the film Wolf Head, with director Ryan “Staples” Scott, and actors Jonathan Grant, Tyler Roberds, Michael Scott Gordon, Jennifer Ehrlich, and Lucas Ross. It was a lot of hard work, by the whole crew, and an experience I will never forget as long as I live. My poor kid to come will have to hear about the day I actually got to make a movie, over and over again.

Also… I took part in NaNoWriMo a writing challenge where you write 50,000 words in November. It was a lot of fun, and I succeeded. Now I just need to rewrite the whole thing. Hehe!

I thought about finishing this blog with the dumbest things said of the year… I thought you know what; instead I want to end with something positive, loving, and kind.

In the New Year remember, you are all loved, you are all smart, and you are all beautiful. God doesn’t make mistakes, and you are all creations of God.

I don’t believe everyone can do anything they put their mind too, maybe I’m a little bit of a pessimist, but there’s no way I’ll ever be a astronaut, or a rocket scientist, but I want to encourage you to find your passion, find what you love, and work towards it. Find books on the subject, talk to people, (believe it or not most people actually like to help you succeed in your dreams), research the subject on the internet, and watch YouTube clips. My Dad who’s almost seventy picked up the harmonica two years ago, and now plays. It’s not too late to learn to do something new, to be somebody new, and to love your fellow man. I always thought if I could read music I’d be a better musician, so guess what this year after playing guitar for over twenty five years I decided to learn. Not there yet, but still learning. Also I’m planning on learning on how to play the piano, but don’t think I’m the kind of person that just picks something up quick. It takes me about ten years before I can play with any real proficiency. 

Well there you go, from my family to yours… Happy New Year!